It is a pity that there is only one division in the agriculture ministry headed by a relief commissioner for managing natural disasters. It is time this division is upgraded to the level of at least a department, if not a separate ministry. In fact, a separate ministry will be more effective in dealing with natural calamities.

The demand for a separate natural disaster management ministry was first voiced by several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) last year, when the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction was observed in many parts of the country.

The Eleventh Finance Commission (EFC) also suggested the scrapping of the National Fund for Calamity Relief (NFCR) and formation of a National Centre for Calamity Management (NCCM) under the agriculture ministry, and continuance of a Calamity Relief Fund with contributions from the Centre and the states in the ratio of 75:25. All the instruments suggested by the EFC can be effective only if there is a separate central ministry to deal with them.

Management of natural disasters needs help from various government ministries and departments, including defence, railways, power, information and broadcasting, surface transport and roadways and finance. It is, therefore, logical that the nodal agency for disaster management should have adequate standing to negotiate and coordinate between government departments and ministries and even international donor agencies. The lack of coordination by the Centre is quite clear from past records in disaster management as well as in the ongoing post-quake relief operations in Gujarat. Sophisticated equipment could not be requisitioned in time for removal of debris and rubble, which could have saved many lives.

Natural disasters cause heavy damage to crops every year. This year, due to recurring drought in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa, the kharif production has declined to 98.9 million tonnes against 104 million tonnes in the previous year, indicating a decline of 4.9 per cent. Total oilseeds production in kharif 2000 has also declined by 24.63 lakh tonne.

Kharif foodgrain output in Gujarat has further fallen by 14.30 lakh tonnes, in Rajasthan by 12.10 lakh tonnes, in MP and Chhattisgarh by 7.22 lakh tonnes, and in Orissa by 0.26 lakh tonnes. Kharif oilseeds production in Gujarat has also dropped by 12.84 lakh tonnes, in MP and Chhattisgarh by 9.73 lakh tonnes, in Rajasthan by 2.04 lakh tonnes and in Orissa by 0.02 lakh tonnes. The natural disaster management division has been unable to handle the crisis arising out of drought in a number of states. As a result, agricultural production has been severely affected.

A report prepared by the division, which falls under the agriculture ministry, has alleged that disaster prevention has not been possible due to land use restrictions not being effected in town and country planning laws, master plan rules or municipal bye laws.

According to the report entitled `International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR)-Indian Experience and Initiatives', disaster prevention by definition involves engineering intervention in buildings and structures to make them strong enough to withstand the impact of natural hazards, or to impose restrictions on land use so that the exposure to disaster can be avoided or minimised. So far, land use restrictions are not being implemented. As a result, cities are expanding in all directions, even hazard-prone areas.

According another report `India: IDNDR & Beyond' prepared by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), every year 6 per cent of population is affected by natural disasters. Damage to property ranged between Rs 1.71 billion in 1990 to Rs 5.8 billion in 1993. However, the IIPA report says that though some progress has been made in disaster management, a lot needs to be done. The earthquakes in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have demonstrated that areas considered comparatively safe till now are really not so.

A report of the agriculture ministry further alleges that despite Indian Standard Codes and Guidelines for earthquakes available in the country, implementation has not been satisfactory except in the case of some central government departments. This is mainly because these standards are not mandatory.

However, similar standards for cyclone safety and flood safety of buildings have not been formulated yet. This task has been entrusted to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). BIS is also formulating standards for safety of buildings under floods or storm surge.

Consequent upon the recommendations of the expert group constituted by the ministry of urban development, the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC) formulated guidelines for improving wind, cyclone and earthquake-resistance of housing. But these, too, remained unimplemented.

The report states that the most economical and effective way of keeping essential services like fire stations, hospitals, water supply systems and communications functional in case of a natural hazard is to design and construct the related buildings, structures and systems according to the hazard-resistant principles.

It is clear from these reports and findings that better coordination between government departments, ministries and agencies is required to mitigate the crisis arising out of natural disasters. Hence, the need for a separate department or ministry.